Naranjo explained as a background that the first edition was held in Athens, Greece, with the participation of 16 nations, and Cuba was the only representative from Latin America, in an event at which the Cuban representative, Kenia Borge, became world champion, an award that the country had not won since 2003.

Rihder Fuentes, president of the Barlady Organizing Committee, in turn, explained that this edition would be attended by competitors from Uruguay, Türkiye, Brazil, Cuba, Greece, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Iceland, North Macedonia, Poland, Belize, Panama, Germany, Puerto Rico, Finland and Venezuela.

The competition will be held in five categories: long drink, sparkling, Latin style, classic and national. In each one, participants will have two minutes to prepare their work station and ten minutes to prepare and present their cocktails.

The champions in each category will then face off in a grand final to choose the Barlady 2025. In 30 minutes, they will have to create a cocktail using only their personal tools and, if they wish, their own containers; the ingredients will be contained in a black box that will include liquors, syrups, fruits and botanicals.

Fuentes pointed out that Barlady seeks to celebrate women’s excellence in bartending, by promoting their skills and creativity, as well as fostering the professional development of female bartenders by sharing knowledge and experiences.

In addition, it aims to highlight the unique value that women bring to cocktail making, challenging stereotypes and promoting diversity.

This edition of Barlady, organized in conjunction with the ACC, has the collaboration of Nafsika Mouzakiti, founder of the event and a Greek presenter who is an expert in cocktail competitions.

The competition director will be Greta Grönholm, world champion in cocktails by the International Bartenders Association (IBA) and president of the Finnish Bartenders Association, who will contribute her artistic talent and passion for cocktail decoration.

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